Cuca, the Blonde Brazilian Alligator, Is the New Meme Taking Over Social Media

And she's iconic.

If you logged onto Twitter today and were met with multiple memes featuring an unfamiliar alligator, well, you're not alone. But it turns out she has a name: Cuca. And she's here to take over your timeline.

Social media users instantly fell in love with the children's character, whose blonde wig, reptilian features, and sassy demeanor provided ample material for the Internet's meme-makers to work with. But who, exactly, is Cuca? Where does she come from, and what does she want?

The character originates from a TV adaptation of Sítio do Pica-Pau Amarelo ("Yellow Woodpecker Ranch" in English), a series of fantasy novels from Brazilian author Monteiro Lobato about two children going on adventures with their living, thinking toys.

Cuca — who is a witch, by the way — first appeared in a chapter of one of the books titled O Saci in 1921. So...she's old. But most of the GIFs and memes of her appear to be from the 2001 TV adaptation of the books in which she was given her now-iconic blonde wig.

Editor's Note: A previous version of this article incorrectly stated that most of the memes circulating right now are taken from the 1977 version, rather than the 2001 adaptation. The text has been amended to reflect this.